Luigi Mangione Has 2 Charges Dropped During First Court Appearance in Months

A judge on Tuesday dropped terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione in his state case in the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, but he kept the second-degree murder charges against the accused assassin.

Mangione appeared in court in Manhattan on Tuesday, Sept. 16, in beige jail garb, as his lawyers pushed to have his state murder and terrorism charges dismissed. Judge Gregory Carro said the evidence presented to the grand jury to support the New York state terrorism charges was not sufficient.

Carro ruled that hearings on Mangione’s state charges will begin Dec. 1.

Mangione’s attorneys have argued that his New York case and his federal case are parallel prosecutions and amount to double jeopardy. He faces the death penalty if convicted in the federal case.

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Mangione has pleaded not guilty to both state and federal charges.

Tuesday’s hearing marked Mangione’s first court appearance since February. Mangione’s supporters gathered outside the courtroom Tuesday morning, as they have in the past. Some dressed up as the Luigi video game character.

His attorneys have also sought to bar prosecutors from using evidence collected during his December 2024 arrest in Altoona, Pa., including a handgun and a notebook in which authorities allege he described his intent to “wack” an insurance executive. And his attorneys have asked the judge to dismiss the terrorism charge if the state case goes forward.

Thompson was shot and killed on Dec. 4, 2024, outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel, where the company was gathering for an investor conference. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson from behind as he arrived for the conference. Mangione was arrested five days later after he was spotted eating breakfast at a McDonald’s in Altoona.